Magnificent Seven
by mysteriousbeyond
Summary: what happens when Vin Tanner meets a young woman who works the saloon?
1. Default Chapter

MAGNIFICENT SEVEN  
** note, I do not own any characters from this show. **  
*jenny (my muse)* what show? Did I ever see it? ** yes stupid, its magnificent seven! We always watch it. Does the name vin  
tanner ring a bell? **  
*no, should it?*  
**you're pathetic, on with the story. ENJOY!! ( **  
  
He rode on the chestnut horse, his hat hid the sunlight from his eyes, his jacket, made of leather he wore with care, his boots, soiled with dirt from riding. I stood on the porch of the saloon, broom in hand, obviously staring at the stranger trotting his horse through town. He tied his horse at the post near the water basin.  
"Can I help you stranger?" I asked as he walked up the steps to the saloon.  
"No, thank you, ma`m." he replied tipping his hat toward me in cowboy fashion. I stopped sweeping and realized that I was the only one on shift at the saloon; I hurried in behind the tall cowboy.  
"Can I get you anything?" I asked as I hurriedly wiped down the bar.  
"Yeah, how's bout a shot of whiskey?"  
"Coming right up." I replied as I searched for the whiskey. I poured him a shot and looked into those deep blue eyes.  
"Where'd you ride in from?" I asked him as I cleaned glasses.  
"Out over in sweet Chester, a small town not much bigger than this, forty miles west of here." He replied blankly staring at his empty shot glass.  
"Would you like another drink?" I asked again, he appeared to be in a daze.  
"Sir, would you like another drink?"  
"Names Vin Tanner, yeah, I would." He said as he flashed me a pearly white smile. I poured him another shot of whiskey and myself. Just then, J.D. and buck came walking in.  
"hi, there Susan, how about gettin' us tired boys a round?" buck asked turning on his womanly charm, which I had become used to and played every time.  
"Not a problem buck, dear." I said with a smile. I walked over and gave the two men there beers.  
"Well, what do we have here Susan?" asked buck. He walked up to Vin,  
"Why, Holy Ghost and cowboys! Vin tanner! Where the hell have you been boy?" buck shouted so loud I thought the whole town could hear him.  
"Sweet Chester, seeing to an old friend." Vin replied never taking his eyes from mine. "and this mighty nice lady has kept me quite the company." He added, winking at me.  
"Ah, I see, seems ol' vin here has made eyes with the lovely Susan Bette. She was JD`s girl, but now they're just friends." Buck said.  
"Say, jd, what was wrong with her? she seems to be a perfectly good woman, takes care of herself and others pretty well." Vin said to jd.  
"It wasn't her, it was me." JD replied solemnly.  
"It's alright there, jd. At least she's still your friend." Buck said as he slapped jd on the back. Buck and jd walked over to the poker table and began playing.  
"So, Vin, do live in this town or are you that famous that buck and jd just know you by name?"  
"Yeah, I live here. Going on three years. See Chris Larabee was riding out west a ways and came across me lying in a field, beaten and tied to my horse. Chris picked me up and tied my horse to his and rode into town. Nathan took a look at my wounds and fixed me up real good. That man is my savior. If not for Chris and Nathan I'd be dead. Chris came and visited me everyday and we would talk about how I came to be in the mess I was in. Chris and I are still close, like brothers." He said to me with misting eyes. I knew that this was a sensitive subject.  
"Ya want to dance?" he asked me, avoiding any further questions.  
"Why, yes, that would be great." I replied taking off the work apron I wore.  
"It's the least I can do for all the help and conversation you've given me." He said taking my hand in his. We danced around the saloon, like we were at a fancy ball. Buck and jd watched and tried to stiffly there laughter.  
"Hey, Susan! Watch your step, vin is a petty dancer." Buck hollered as if the two of us were deaf.  
"I am better than he is, he was taught by a bunch of rowdy animals." Vin whispered to me as so buck wouldn't hear and try to regress the remark. I looked into those big blue eyes of his.  
"Hey, Vin, what's the worst thing you've ever done?" I asked curiously.  
"Well, haven't done much wrong since I been here. I was framed for a murder I never committed. I was supposed to hang for it." He replied.  
"That was a year ago, if it wasn't for Chris and buck, I might not be here today." Vin said with pride in the two friends who saved his life. I looked up to him with misty eyes.  
"Oh, Susan, I didn't mean to make you cry." He said as he pulled me closer to him.  
"I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have asked that question." I said looking up at him.  
"That's alright, no need to apologize. I'm alright with it." He said as he twirled me around on his finger.  
"Are you sure those two aren't in love?" jd asked buck warily.  
"Oh, jd, stop it already! The woman can take care of herself. Vin is perfectly in tune with what he's doing. He wouldn't just sweep her around the dance floor because he had too. It's because he wants too. There's a difference you know?"  
"Yeah, I guess." Jd said solemnly. They continued with there game of cards and buck was cheating as usual. Vin spun me around the floor once more.  
"God, look at him, he is so stunning." I thought to myself. He dipped me over his right arm that was around my waist and I smiled. He was very strong. He lifted me back up and I fell against him, dizzy from the lift.  
"Whoa, there." Vin said as he caught me. He held me against him as I tried to regain my balance.  
"Maybe we should stop" he said looking at me worriedly.  
"No, I just got a little dizzy that's all, I'm fine really." I said twirling in a circle.  
"Well, alright." Vin said with a sigh. We danced some more and I couldn't help thinking what it would be like to marry this wonderful man. After that day, vin and I were quite the pair. After my shifts at the saloon he and I would ride on his horse down to the river and talk for hours. He made me feel good, made me laugh. Jd was great, don't get me wrong, but vin just opened a new door to me that I had never explored before. We were coming back into town one night and vin decided to walk me home. When we reached the door I turned and looked at vin, his eyes were gleaming, his smile shown in the moonlight. He ran his hand through my hair and encircled my waist with the other. He looked deep into my eyes and kissed me.  
"Goodnight, Susan." He whispered to me.  
"Goodnight, Vin." I turned and walked into the house. I walked to the window and peered through the curtains, watching as he climbed onto his horse and rode off to Chris's place.  
"Hey, Susan. Heard you had quite a night last night with Vin." Buck said as he walked into the saloon.  
"What? What are you talking about?" I asked puzzled. Then behind him came jd and I knew something was up.  
"Jd, can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked.  
"Sure, what about?"  
"you, how dare you spy on me and.." I stopped in mid sentence, just then vin walked in.  
"What's the matter with her?" he asked buck.  
"She's yelling at jd because he spied on her last night and told me that you and her kissed goodnight."  
"It wasn't just ANY kiss goodnight." Jd said from my grasp.  
"It was a fallen for you kiss goodnight. You never kissed me like that." He said to me.  
"Well, that's cause you never made the first move!" I yelled.  
"What can I get you, vin?"  
"How bout a beer and maybe another kiss a little later." He whispered to me with a wink.  
"No, problem." I replied with a smile.  
"See! I told you she's in love with him!" jd shouted.  
"jd, my god. Calm down. You will find another girl, let Susan be." Chris said as he walked into the saloon.  
"But."  
"But, nothing, don't you have enough faith in vin to trust that he will care for Susan like woman needs to be cared for?" Chris asked looking at vin.  
"Besides, he will treat her well; he has a way with the ladies." He added.  
"you think he'd be married by now, that's how good he treats the ladies." Buck chimed in.  
"Thanks buck, now you made it sound like I have been with every woman in town!" Vin said with a smile, I looked at him warily, not really sure if he was kidding or not.  
"Don't worry Susan, I haven't been with every woman in town, just two, ones you." he said with a reassuring smile.  
"Oh, yeah, that's how he gets them! One cunning line and a flash of his sexy smile!" jd burst out.  
"ok kid, I think its time we took a walk." Chris said as he pulled jd from his chair.  
"hey! What did I do?" jd yelled 


	2. The Secret

Chapter two: The Secret  
  
"C'mon, lets go" Chris said dragging him out of the saloon. Buck was about to say something when Chris shot him a look and buck knew to follow behind the squirming jd.  
"Ah, finally, now I can prove to you there has only been two women in my life." Vin said crossing the floor to reach me. I walked out form behind the bar, vin took me in his arms and kissed me long and sweet, I had never been held as tight or kissed as sweet by any man, except for vin tanner. Sure, there was jd but his touch wasn't as light and his words weren't gold to my ears. I think I had finally met the man I was to marry. Vin pulled away slowly, savoring the sweet kiss.  
"I have something to tell you about the other woman in my life." He said as he took my hand. We sat at a table and he told me about the first year he had been in town.  
Chris and he had been riding out in Mexico on a job and were on there way back when they befriended a Cherokee tribe. The two men were famished, in need of food and rest. Chris had asked the chief if they could stay with them for a day or so in return for there services. The chief obliged. They put there horses up with the warriors horses and ate with the chief and his family. As darkness fell, Vin and Chris unrolled there blankets and slept under the stars. Chris near the creek by the horses, and vin near warrior's t-pee. Later that night vin had awoke to see a young woman standing over him. She was Cherokee, he knew by the dress she had on. She looked about early twenties, very beautiful. He was puzzled by why she was standing over him. She knelt by him and said something in Cherokee, but he didn't understand, Chris was the bilingual one. She leaned down and kissed him; he was taken by surprise, but kissed her back. He didn't remember anything after that, but remembered waking up an seeing her dress lying next to him. He was worried about what happened the night before and tried to shrug it off. He decided against telling Chris, he got up and went in search of the girl. He had turned up no results.  
Chris and he had packed there things, thanked the tribe and headed on home. A few months later, a Cherokee woman came into town looking for him. Vin had recognized her immediately. He emerged from the saloon, very much sober and awake; she waddled over to him, five months pregnant. Vin was shocked and frightened, at twenty-one how was he going to take care of the mess he got himself into now? He called for Chris to help him translate what she was saying. Chris did as was asked and was surprised by what he was hearing. She was carrying vin`s baby? Not possible. He looked to vin for some reconciliation, vin shook his head. It was his. Vin and moonlight rain had worked out an agreement that she stay close to him, there was a little town, forty miles from him that he could set her up in. this way he could provide for her and the baby. Chris agreed that the arrangement made was a good one, and that he was there for his friend.  
Moonlight rain, or Mary as vin called her moved to the town forty miles from him and he came and saw her every chance he got. Once his baby girl was born, he promised Mary that he would come every five months on one condition that Mary should marry a man of Cherokee decent and who would accept little winged sparrow, a.k.a. Eliza. He said the man she married would be able to care for her and little Eliza like he couldn't. it broke his heart to tell her that he couldn't care for them the way he planned. His heart ached every time he thought about them. 


	3. together

Chapter Three: Together  
  
"That's were he came in from when he rode in" I thought. I was finally putting the pieces together. I sat there in somewhat shock and disbelief. Vin ran his hands over his tired eyes. For a man of twenty-eight, vin looked incredible and for raising a child in way that fit his and Mary's needs made me admire him more. A few days later he and I rode out to sweet chestnut. We visited with Mary, Eliza and Mary's husband coyote chaser. He was a very handsome man, and spoke English, so vin and he went and talked bout the girls and how they were. Coyote had came and told me all the good things vin does for them and how Eliza loves it when her daddy comes to visit. Eliza looked just like Mary, except she had vin`s auburn hair. Coyote, had no complaints when it came to vin, he took pride in someone like him. They all looked like one big happy family to me. Vin swung Eliza around in his arms and she squealed happily. We left after awhile and everyone waved goodbye until another day.  
Vin had seemed rather happier than usual. When we got back to town, he and I sat in the saloon and talked. It was bout ten p.m. and the place was quiet. Vin said Chris used to come and visit with him but wasn't sure he should. Vin was glad he shared his deep secret with me. After we talked for a couple hours, he and I climbed the stairs up to the boarding rooms. We walked down the hall to the last room, the bar tender's room.  
"Are you sure?" vin asked as he closed the door behind him.  
"Vin, all I want to do tonight is sleep, I don't know what you're thinking but I am in no mood for anything other than sleep tonight." I said as I brushed my hair. I looked at him with a smile.  
"Ok, Susan, I'll stay." He replied helping me lace up my nightgown. I crawled in bed and pulled the covers up to my lap. Vin came and sat on the other side and removed his boots. I leaned over and draped my arms around his neck.  
"I love you, Vin Tanner, no matter what you did or who you were with before." I whispered in his ear.  
"I love you too Susan." He said kissing my hands. He turned and faced me and I removed his shirt.  
"Wow, for a cowboy he sure is tan" I thought as I exposed his chest. He was very tan, yet his face was somewhat dirty. I walked over to the washbasin and drew some warm water.  
"Vin, come here a moment." I said as I soaked the wash rag in the soapy water. He stood in front of me, but was still a little tall, so I had him sit on the chair. I washed his face and his neck clean. He was so clean; he looked like a church statue sitting there. Afterwards when I got rid of the water and he turned out the light, we climbed into bed. I lay there covered but still cold. I shivered and vin rolled over and put his strong arms around my middle.  
"I love you Susan, and I always will." He whispered in my ear.  
"I love you too vin." I said as I rolled over and kissed him. I woke up the next morning to sunlight streaming in through the windows and onto vin`s tanned back and shoulders.  
"Morning, handsome" I whispered to him.  
"Morning to you too, gorgeous." He replied squeezing me tight.  
"What do you say to riding out somewhere for a while today? Get an early start and be together all day." I asked sweetly.  
"Sounds like a plan, lets get dressed first." He replied getting up. We packed some clothes, and saddled the horse and were on our way to a fun filled day together, just us. 


	4. trouble

Chapter Four: Trouble  
  
Well, we hadn't gone very far, maybe a half hour out when we ran into some bounty hunters. They tried to attack us but Vin was quick and used his gun on the two men approaching us. We never saw the third one who was riding up behind us. He had knocked me off the horse and stabbed vin in the side just below his ribs. The men had took off and led vin`s horse with them.  
"VIN!" I screamed as I watched him fall from the horse. I got up and ran to him.  
"Vin, oh my god! Oh, lord. What are we going to do? Should I get help? What do you want me to do?" I pleaded to him as tears streamed down my face.  
"Here, give me your dress." He said as I stood up. He took hold of the hem and pulled out his knife and cut a slit up the front of my dress.  
"tear your dress into strips real long ones. I will use my shirt for a bandage." He replied as I tore my dress. He removed his shirt and tore it into pieces and wrapped them about his wound. Once he finished that I took some strips and tied the bandage in place.  
"do you think we can walk from here?" I asked him as I helped him stand up. He seemed fine except if you listened to him breathe. It was very slow and painful for him.  
"Chris's house is just a little ways away. Remember when we passed it?"  
"Yeah, I remember. Can you make it there with me?" I asked trying not to cry.  
"Yes, I can. Just hold me up. I can walk fine. Talk to me, and then I won't think about the pain. Tell me anything." He said looking into my eyes.  
"alright, Vin, I want to marry you. not today, maybe not this year, but someday. I want to be the one you see when you wake up in the morning and I want to be the one you hold at night while you sleep. I want to be the one who cleans your house and makes your dinner. Who tells Chris he can't come around because you're not home, not that he would leave anyway." I told him. He laughed.  
"yeah, telling him I wasn't home wouldn't keep him away. He would take it upon himself to take care of you until I returned. Which by the way, if we do get married, I will ask him to. Or Josiah can look in on you form time to time." He said with a smile.  
"yeah, that's sounds lovely." I said as we came upon Chris's house. We saw his horse outside and we called to him.  
"Chris! Chris! Help us!" we called to him. He came running out of his cabin with his gun at his side.  
"Oh, my god! Vin, Susan!" he yelled as he ran to us. He saw me carrying vin and came and put his arm around vin`s other side. We carried him to the house. Nathan was there already, he had been talking to Chris about something about buck. Nathan immediately went to work on vin. When Nathan was finished I sat beside vin and held is hand. He was sleeping so I just sat there.  
"You're a mighty strong woman to carry him all this way. You must really love him." Chris said to me with a smile.  
"Yes, I do. I would do anything for him. Even for you." I told him as I took his hand.  
"you have done so much for vin. You helped him through the roughest part of his life and are still there for him. I want you to know that I am here for you also. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call on me." Chris hugged me. Vin shifted slightly.  
"Hey, Chris get off my girl." He said playfully.  
"I was merely giving her a hug for treating me and you so nice. She says she's going to treat you like gold and I get to be the silver. I think we got ourselves a woman." He said with a smile.  
"you mean, I got MYSELF a woman, Chris. You just got a buddy. Don't worry, she'll take good care of you and me. Would you mind being my best man at my wedding Chris?" vin asked. Chris stood there, shocked, but happy.  
  
"yeah, vin. I wouldn't miss it for anything. But you have to heal up first before there can be any wedding." Chris said in a fatherly way. Vin groaned. He motioned for Chris to exit the room. Chris patted my shoulders as he left the room. Vin took me in his arms and held me tight.  
"I don't know what I would do without you two." He said to me with a smile.  
"Probably wouldn't be here" I said. I ran my fingers through his hair. His eyes met with mine and we kissed, not for the first time or the last. Just then Nathan walked in.  
"Oh, excuse me," he said after clearing his throat, letting us know he was there.  
"c'mon in Nathan, it's not like she and I are really busy." Vin said with a laugh. Nathan came in and unwrapped vin`s bandages. I held vin`s hand as Nathan was putting on some herbal cream he had made. It smelled like mint and chocolate. Vin said he wanted to eat it.  
"oh, no. if you eat this you'll be sick for weeks." Nathan said to him. He reapplied some clean bandages and left the room.  
"Thank you Nathan. We really appreciate all you do for us." I said with a smile.  
"you're welcome Susan. Now don't go getting yourself hurt now." He said warningly. 


	5. Feel the love

Chapter Five: Feel the love  
  
I lay there next to vin, stroking his hair as he slept. Chris came in and sat with me.  
"So, you and vin, have you decided on a date yet?" he asked.  
"Well, no. we haven't talked about it much." I said looking down at the sleeping man laying in my lap.  
"I was thinking sometime in summer, when its real pretty and flowers."  
"I can give you some ideas if you want to talk about it with me." Chris said  
"I am vin`s best friend after all." He aid with a smile.  
"Alright, but we have to write this down, so that when vin gets up he knows what we talked about." I said trying not to get too emotionally close to Chris.  
"Susan, don't worry, I know vin loves you and I wouldn't try to take you from him. I am happy by myself, women are just perks to me. But they have to be single women, you my friend are taken." He said with a smile.  
"Ok, lets throw some ideas out there." I said as he wrote them down. After we were finished vin had woken up.  
"Hey there cowboy." Chris and I said in unison. Vin smiled at us both.  
"What have you two been up too? Cheating on me are you honey?" he said with a laugh.  
"Here" Chris said handing him the list.  
"It's a list of the things for your wedding, we didn't want to exclude you so we wrote down all our ideas." He handed him the list. Summer Fields Blue dress The team Mary, Eliza and coyote Josiah marries you Chris's cabin Chestnut horse  
"What's with your cabin being on there Chris?" vin asked.  
"Oh, I put that on there as my wedding gift to you guys from me. You guys can use it for your honeymoon, its far enough from town, and I can stay with buck, he always has extra room. And vin always loved my cabin so I figured you can use it for blueprints to your house." He winked at vin. He knew vin loved Chris's house and wanted to build one just like it someday. Vin looked at Chris with teary eyes.  
"I don't know how to thank you." he said his voice wobbling.  
"Just make sure you and Susan give me a little niece or nephew alright?" He said with a smile.  
"Oh, I think that can be arranged." Vin said squeezing my leg. I looked at Chris. How handsome these two men were, you would think they were really brothers.  
"We love you Chris. Your like the brother I never had, and vin looks up to you. we are a family now." I said hugging him as best I could without squishing vin. Chris knelt down a little further and hugged vin.  
"I love you both." He said before walking out to water the horses. Nathan came in to check on vin.  
"I see your healing up quite nicely vin. Must be all the visitors and love." He said as he applied new bandages.  
"Yeah, must be all the visitors and love." Vin said as he held my hand.  
"Visitors and love." I said as I kissed him. 


	6. susans secret

Chapter Six: Susan's secret  
  
We lay there together for awhile and I decided to get up and take a warm wash rag to vin`s side which was still covered in blood. I carefully washed around the bandages and when I got close to them his muscles tightened from the stinging herbal cream. I smiled as I gently washed his side; I ran my fingers down his side. He laughed; from his upper side near his armpit down to his waist he was ticklish. I smiled, he was so beautiful.  
"Susan, I need to talk to you." buck said as he peered his head in through the door.  
"I'll be back, honey." I said as I kissed vin`s forehead. I walked out the door. Buck stood out on the porch.  
"What is it buck?" I asked. He looked at me very worriedly and with cold dark eyes.  
"I can't let you marry vin. See, I know we had our marriage in the past and how it didn't work, but I think I still, no I know I still love you. does that mean anything to you?" buck asked.  
"No, buck. It doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I used to think you were serious every time you said that. But you just said it more and more, every time you screwed up. Well, unlike you, I got smart and I found myself a new life, and a good job and someone who wants me for more than my body. See, with you and jd it was all about my body and how beautiful I am. But with vin, it's not just about my body, he thinks I am beautiful inside and out. He loves me for me, for who I am inside, not just outside. That to me is something really special. When you find a woman, who you love inside and out with your whole heart, you let me know how it feels, because right now I don't think you know." I said to him with teary eyes. I walked over to the swing and sat down. Chris was looking at me through the window. I smiled lightly. He knew about me and buck; he had helped me through my tough time, as I called it. Buck used to just use me and sometimes when he was really upset about something he would beat me for it. No matter if it had nothing to do with me. But that was a long time ago, when we were really young. He didn't know how to handle the newly developed liquor behavior. The liquor made him mean and angry. It brought out emotions in him I had never seen before. When buck used to get really liquored up Chris would let me stay with him. I would come over to his place in my nightgown, crying hysterically. Chris wouldn't ask he would just usher me into his house and hold me tight until I stopped crying. Sometimes Chris and I would talk about his wife and little boy. We would cry together and laugh late into the night about funny things from our lives. Chris was really part of my family, the brother I always wanted. 


	7. loving care

I walked out and hugged him. "Thank you for everything. I don't know what I would do without you." I said lightly kissing his cheek.  
  
**Vin is in his room writing** I am a man, not just any man. Sweet woman, I am your man. Yours, for you to hold tight and love until you can no longer love anymore. Hold me, sweet woman; show me the wonders of your world. Filled with love and care, unlike my world, filled with cruelty and despair. Teach me sweet woman, the works of the words you speak and the letters you write. One day, my sweet woman, I will give you everything you've every dreamed of and more. One day.  
  
The sun rises in the east, over casting rays of golden light into the room. She lay there sleeping, I stand near the wall. "Protect me, stay with me." She asked the previous night. I did, for knowing that a woman all alone can surely get frightened and scared. I lean against the wall heavy with a yearning for sleep. I cannot sleep, for I swore to be her protector, her guardian.  
  
"Vin?" I called before entering our room. I saw the beautiful man sitting at the desk writing. Writing, good, must be poems. I thought as I walked over to him.  
"Hi, there cowboy" I said as I put my arms around his neck. "Hi, there to you too. How is Chris?" he asked.  
"Fine, we just talked about buck and the past." I replied trying not to cry. "Oh, I see. These are for you." he said handing me the poems.  
"There beautiful." I said smiling.  
"You have the gift of words and wits." I replied kissing him. Just then as vin put his arms around my waist, Chris walked in. "Oh, sorry." Chris muttered as he started backing out the door.  
"Nonsense, get in here cowboy, what was it that you wanted?" vin asked him smiling. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to take the missus and we all can take a ride and watch the sunset." Chris said smiling at us both. He knew I was a sucker for the romantic stuff and he knew vin was too but vin didn't like to tell it.  
"Yeah, lets. I will go get peso." Vin said jumping up like a little kid in play school. We packed furiously and mounted peso in record time. The black stallion leapt and took off to the west. We met Chris at his house a few miles from ours. Chris was sitting on his front porch, loaded up and ready. "Ready?" he asked.  
"Yeah, let's go!" I called. We rode out after the sun. I held onto vin so tight he couldn't breathe. "Let go of me a bit, I'm suffocating." He croaked out to me.  
"sorry, didn't mean too." I responded pressing my chin to the back of his shoulder. I breathed in the fresh scent of him, mountain spring with a hint of leather. I could stay there forever, just him and I. We made it to the pasture of greens that Chris was talking about on the way there. We dismounted and unpacked. Chris looked at us funny then realized why we were packed up. He smiled and brought out his canteen. "Vin how's your wound?" Chris asked making sure the sharpshooter heard him.  
"Fine, I think." the sharpshooter's voice trailed as he pulled his shirt tail from his trousers to inspect his newly acquired wound. There was blood but not as much as before and the stitches were bugging him. He wished he could pull them out himself. I looked observing the site, it was quite interesting. I could handle someone else's injuries but not my own. I stood there and thought back about two years. "HEY! Don't touch that!" I screamed as Nathan tried furiously to stitch my fingers. I was just starting out at the saloon and I dropped a glass and it cut me on my first two fingers. Nathan was purple in the face from trying to get me to sit still.  
"VIN! GET IN HERE!!!" Nathan called out to the sharpshooter standing in the door way. "Yeah, Nathan." The dark haired man asked with his blue eyes.  
"Hold her still. I can't get her to stop moving." Nathan replied picking up some more thread. "Ok, Susan, listen to me. You have got to relax, calm down, you'll be alright." Vin said trying to soothe me.  
"I'm afraid. I never had stitches before, I am terrified." I said looking at the handsome man with pleading eyes. "Here, maybe this will help." He replied stroking my hair with his left hand, his right was permanently attached to mine for the time being. I breathed a sigh of relief. I calmed slowly, until I saw the needle. I felt my eyes grow big, and I buried my face in vin`s chest.  
"Oh, my god! NO! DON'T! I don't want any needles!" my screams muffled by vin`s clothes. "Relax, you'll be ok. Here, hold on tight." Vin said as he took both my hands in his. I gripped his hands like they were my life line and if I let go I would die. Vin sat there next to me, running his fingers along mine. He looked at me and I looked at him, my eyes as big as saucers and I was ready to cry monster sized alligator tears. "Oh, darling, you'll be alright." He said taking me as best he could into his arms. Nathan looked at him, arms wrapped around me and holding my hands.  
"Vin, I need some space to get to her fingers there cowboy." Nathan said motioning to his fingers covering my injuries. "Sorry, Nathan." He replied removing his hand from mine. Vin looked at me with a smile. I took a deep breath as Nathan started sewing me up. "All done. You have to keep changing the bandages though. You should stay with someone for awhile, just incase you need help with anything." Nathan said looking at me.  
"Ok, thank you Nathan." I replied pulling myself up from the couch I had been laying on. I had to lean on vin for I had been so flustered I had no energy left to stand. "Whoa, there girl. Here, lean on me and we'll take you back to my place for now. I'll keep an eye on you. how's that sound?" vin asked with a smile.  
"Sounds good. I'll need your help anyways." I replied smiling. We walked out of the saloon and mounted vin`s horse. We rode to my place to gather some clothes and then off to his. We rode up to his house and dismounted his horse. Vin helped me into the house and in what I assumed was his room, for some rest. "Here you go." He said helping me into the bed. "Get some rest, I'll wake you when foods ready." He added covering me with a blanket. I lay there and watched him exit the room, a few seconds later my eyes closed. Vin stood by the door, watching cautiously. "She looks so beautiful when she sleeps." He thought to himself. He silently closed the door and walked into the kitchen, he went to the cupboard to find something to eat. "Nothing, not a single thing. What else could a single guy ask for? Got a sweet woman in your bed sleeping and you can't even feed her because you have no food!" vin muttered under his breath. He'd just have to get Chris and he'd think of something. He walked out side and mounted Peso. He hoped Chris was home. He rode up about ten minutes later and found Chris sitting on his porch whittling as usual. "Hey, there stranger." Chris called as vin walked up the steps.  
"Yeah, hi yourself, I got a problem. see this girl she staying with me because she cut her fingers and Nathan said she needed to stay with someone till she got better enough to stay alone. So I got her at my house and have absolutely no food. Not uncommon for a bachelor though, but I told her I make her some food! Goddamn! I'm such an idiot!" vin cursed himself over and over. "Hold on there pard. Let's take a look in my kitchen and see what we can cook up." Chris said as he walked into the house. The men raided the cupboards and fridge. They found lots of food but then what to do with it all? They whipped out one of Sarah's cookbooks and thumbed through it. They had found a recipe for some soufflé thing and made that. Needles to say it didn't turn out as planned but it was edible, the soufflé didn't rise like it was supposed to but it tasted good. They wrapped that and a chocolate cake in a basket and some flowers. "There, now go take it to her. be nice and show her that smile of yours that gets all the women in town." Chris said with a grin. Vin walked off to put the basket on peso before mounting.  
"See you later brother." Vin said with a smile. "Let me know how it goes, all the details!" Chris called back as vin trotted off. 


End file.
